tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15857498.post115045386351668766..comments2009-04-07T02:06:08.425-07:00Comments on The Wizard of Odds: Reporters' Notebooksdawizofoddsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15857498.post-1150456376724738942006-06-16T04:12:00.000-07:002006-06-16T04:12:00.000-07:00July 15, 2006Big Ten Cable Network ConsideredBy K....July 15, 2006<BR/><BR/>Big Ten Cable Network Considered<BR/><BR/>By K.J. Pilcher<BR/>Cedar Rapids Gazette<BR/><BR/>CEDAR RAPIDS — Michael Gartner, president of the state Board of Regents, revealed Wednesday in a meeting with The Gazette’s editorial board that the Big Ten Conference has been considering the possibility of establishing its own cable television network to carry university athletics events. <BR/><BR/>The Big Ten confirmed it last night. <BR/> <BR/>Gartner, a former president of NBC News, said he was approached about the deal by David Skorton, then University of Iowa president. <BR/><BR/>"David said, 'The Big Ten is thinking of setting up its own cable network. With your background in television, would you talk to (Big Ten Commissioner Jim) Delany?' And I said, sure . . . I’ll just tell you one thing. I don’t know anything about this deal, but if it is not available to every cable system in the state of Iowa, you’re going to have a hell of a problem on your hands, with the Legislature and the people and fans.<BR/> <BR/>"So, at his request, I sent a list of questions that I would ask Delany. And they sent back the list and said Delany will be calling you . . . It was basically how will this work financially, how much more would the University of Iowa Athletics Department get, the risks, who’s on the board, the ownership and how can we assure that every mom and pop cable company in the state of Iowa can get this . . . So then (Iowa Athletics Director Bob) Bowlsby called me up and he said 'Do you have any other questions?' I said no. <BR/><BR/>"And then Delany called me, and I said the answers are fine by me." <BR/> <BR/>Delany confirmed last night in a phone interview that the league has indeed considered such a network but declined to get into specifics. <BR/><BR/>"We have considered it," Delany said, noting that the league’s 10-year deal with ABC and ESPN expires at the end of the 2006-2007 school year. "We’ve considered a lot of options."<BR/><BR/>Among those options, he said, is continuing the deal with ABC and ESPN.<BR/><BR/>"We’ve continued to negotiate with ABC/ESPN," he said. "We’re in a series of negotiations and have been the last 18 months."<BR/> <BR/>Basically, he said, the league is exploring the television landscape, "looking for a way to get our signal out." <BR/><BR/>As for the league’s forming it own network and Gartner’s comments about it, Delany wasn’t saying anything beyond basic confirmation. <BR/><BR/>"We aren’t prepared to say anything more," he said. <BR/><BR/>Bowlsby was traveling last night and unavailable for comment. He did not respond to phone messages.dawizofoddsnoreply@blogger.com